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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29925657">terra incognita</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/celebii/pseuds/celebii'>celebii</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Reverse Robins AU [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Batfamily (DCU), F/F, Fluff, Implied stephcass, Reverse Robins, Wayne Gala (DCU)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:35:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,386</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29925657</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/celebii/pseuds/celebii</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The major literary conflicts: man vs. society, man vs. self, man vs. nature, and Stephanie Brown vs. Wayne social events.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Stephanie Brown &amp; Cassandra Cain &amp; Barbara Gordon, Stephanie Brown &amp; Duke Thomas, Stephanie Brown/Cassandra Cain</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Reverse Robins AU [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2168343</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>46</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>terra incognita</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The gala is, like all rich parties, a stuffy, passive affair. Stephanie has always hated coming to them, despised too-tight shoes and being cooed at and treated like the latest Wayne charity case. When she was Robin, Bruce, Cass, and Tim ganged up on her once a month, insisting she attend, and entire evenings were spent milling around the buffet, hoping and praying that the Mayor would get kidnapped by assassins or the singular Bat-themed vigilante patrolling would report some rogue running wild in New Town. The memory puts a grudging smile on Stephanie’s face now, and despite the burning sensation of discomfort curdling in her gut, she inclines her head downwards, staring at the fizzy drink she’s currently bobbing a straw in.</p><p>Galas after she’s returned from the dead are far, far different. She’s lost the cute baby fat that made her coo-able, so now Gotham’s upper classes trail around her, casting nervous glances in her direction when she’s not on Cass’s arm or whispering conspiracy theories about her fate when Tim’s not giving them death glares. Stephanie wishes she could call all this annoying, but watching Bruce squirm as she’s continually proven right about how she’d be treated at this gala is absolutely <i>delicious<i>. She wouldn’t miss it for the world.</i></i></p><p>
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</p><p>He’s been avoiding her like the plague this entire evening, which Stephanie attributes to some kind of awkward guilt complex come to life, pun <i>definitely</i> intended—something that is distinctly not her problem. She lifts her gaze, watching as Cass twirls around mid-dance with Bruce. Jesus fuck, she really is his daughter. Their faces are split into similarly sappy grins, Cass’s long glittery skirts pooling around her and Bruce’s gelled hair dusted lightly by the artificial snow falling from the ceiling. Despite appearances, however, Stephanie knows them both well enough to note the way their eyes flit around warily, constantly on high alert. Cass’s medium-length locks are tied up, embedded with pearl barrettes, and Stephanie flushes involuntarily, hand trailing up to trace the pearls in her own hair.</p><p>“Bored?”</p><p>“Fuck!”</p><p>Stephanie’s heart pounds as she snaps her head to the side—Duke is there, grinning softly as he scoots a chair over to her table. The flush beneath her skin deepens, this time sharp and uncomfortable, and she ducks her head, sipping at her drink to compensate for the silence. She can’t really blame Duke for being angry at her. When she re-emerged in Gotham, she hardly spoke to him, and the cracks in their bond feel too heavy and too awkward to address now in the middle of a gala.</p><p>But Duke’s never been the patient type, always charging head-first into confrontation and trouble, so she sighs when the silence persists.</p><p>“Hi, Duke,” she says quietly, and his elbow rests on the table as he leans his head into his hand. </p><p>“Steph,” he says back evenly, and she turns to face him, watching as his brown eyes crinkle with some emotion she can’t quite place. Stephanie’s never been the patient type, either, so she gestures towards him with a manicured hand, courtesy of an afternoon spent with Tim.</p><p>“I’m...sorry this is kinda the first time we’ve met since it happened. Sorry for not contacting you earlier.”</p><p>“Mm,” Duke hums, unfurling an intricately-folded napkin. He’s wearing black fingerless gloves and sporting clear polish on his nails, a decision that would usually be some kind of fashion crime deserving of jail time, but one that works strangely well with his yellow suit (the same color as Cass’s, Stephanie notes detachedly). </p><p>“I didn’t want you to...see me,” Stephanie mutters, and it sounds all awkward and disjointed when it comes out of her mouth, but Duke seems to understand the underlying meaning. He lets out a low sigh and places a tentative hand on on her arm.</p><p>“I won’t say it’s okay, because it’s not. But I’m glad you’re back, Steph. I missed you too.”</p><p>Stephanie places a hand atop his. If Damian or Bruce were to say this to her, she’d fly into a rage, recognizing patronization when she hears it. But this is Duke, someone who’s always trusted her, even when she was shut out of vigilante activity, even when she spent long nights in tears after another fight with Bruce, even when she crossed paths with him a few weeks ago while wrapping up a Crime Alley patrol, eyes glowing bright with the Pit and blood staining her kevlar. He’d tipped his head to the side then, not in a moral judgement from above, but in silent disapproval one would offer an equal. She loves him for his trust and consistency more than anything else.</p><p>“Are you wearing...contacts?” Duke asks, squinting at her face, taking notice of the blue in her eyes. Stephanie recognizes the effort to change the subject and reciprocates, some of the flush waning.</p><p>“Tim thought there’d be conspiracies. Wanted me to be as close to my old appearance as possible.”</p><p>They lapse into conversation, jarred by the tension between them but laced with ease as the nighttime ebbs. The topic of the Red Hood is danced around, and Stephanie is silently grateful for the tenuous alliance she has with the Bats. It’s not the same as it used to be: Bruce gives her bullshit doe eyes when he sees her (ironically enough, a far cry from all the Batman-voice lectures over the comms, sharp reminders of why she’s still <i>tolerated</i>) and Damian has been glued to Jason’s side this entire gala, giving her assassin-eyes from across the room. Stephanie meets his gaze for a few moments, sipping at her drink and fluttering her hand, and she thinks she catches the glint of a blade before Jason shoves it away, looking flustered.</p><p>Later in the night, when Duke has trailed back into the crowd to find Bruce and Cass has rejoined Stephanie at her table, leaning her head against her shoulder, a young girl with bright red hair and a baby blue dress approaches the two of them. She looks both cautious and defiant, an expression that Stepanie has come to associate with Tim, and Cass lifts her head to face the girl, who takes a deep breath, as if she’s gathering courage.</p><p>“Gordon’s daughter,” Cass whispers, fingers drumming against the sleeve of Stephanie’s suit. “Mingle.”</p><p>“Hi, um,” she begins, bracing her hands against the table’s edge and leaning forward. “Are you Stephanie Brown?”</p><p>Stephanie tenses slightly, giving the kid a cool look she’s seen Duke adopt when regarding Gotham’s upper class. “Yeah, in the flesh.”</p><p>“Oh, I just wanted to see you. A lot of people have been talking about you tonight. I don’t know if you remember, but we met a long time ago at one of these.”</p><p>At that, Stephanie tenses even more—one of the Pit’s many effects is partial amnesia, with many of the memories she had before her death fading into slippery static. “Remind me of your name again?”</p><p>“Barbara Gordon,” she says brightly, reaching her left hand forward. Stephanie takes it first, giving it a firm shake and hoping her skin isn’t too clammy, but Barbara looks relaxed as Cass shakes with both of her hands, smiling widely. “But you can call me Babs.” A muted buzzing noise sounds, and she opens up her purse, glancing down at its contents with a click of her tongue. </p><p>“Well, Dad’s calling. Maybe I’ll see you at the next gala, Ms. Wayne and Ms. Brown.” Barbara flashes a hand over her face, clearly referencing something, and disappears back into the crowd.</p><p>Stephanie gives Cass an inquisitive look, who straightens in her seat, looking pleased. “The costume ball. It’s in a month.”</p><p>“Little late for Halloween events, don’t you think?”</p><p>“It’s not Halloween!” Cass tips the chair forwards and backwards, rocking it in a way that’d spark apprehension in Stephanie if it was anyone else—but Cass, as always, is perfectly balanced, imbued with a dancer’s grace. “More like… a masquerade. But Gotham is dramatic. Always full costumes. Very...” she gestures with both hands, tracing lines in the air, “frilly.”</p><p>“Mm,” Stephanie hums in agreement, and then Cass leans closer, eyes flashing playfully.</p><p>“Well, now you <i>have</i> to attend, Ms. Brown. You can’t disappoint Barbara Gordon.”</p><p>Stephanie lets out a long, long sigh.</p><p>“Fuck.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello! i wanted to use this end note to discuss some of my thought process behind the red hood!stephanie brown reverse robins AU and major differences between jason and steph's approach to the role. firstly, i want to clarify that this series is not chronological, i just write it in an order of what comes to mind. (stephanie did not jump from nearly attacking jason in an apartment to attending a wayne gala! it's safe to assume there's been several months between these events) </p><p>secondly, i think that the transition from an anti-bat trauma fueled red hood to a tentative alliance with the bats red hood would happen a lot more quickly for steph than it would for jason. in this AU, before she died, steph had a decent social basis within the family, being very close to cass, tim, and duke. in this sense, steph also has people to fall back on when she's red hood, and she can't focus purely on taking out anger on bruce in line with her perception that he's failed her. steph also needs to direct attention towards people like cass, who are not content to let her go, tim, who's right there with cass in terms of how much he cares about steph, and duke, who doesn't pull any punches in terms of how disappointed he is in her but still sees steph as an equal and loved one. in a word, steph is loved—she's grudgingly at this stuffy gala for them, not for bruce, damian, or jason, and she still considers herself an outsider. there's a lot less attention on a wayne family friend than a wayne son as well.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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